


Vanish

by black_tea



Series: Axis Mundi [5]
Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Case Fic, First Time, M/M, Mystery, Omegaverse, Sexual Content, alpha!Scully, male!Scully, omega!Mulder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-11-16 01:21:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11243343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/black_tea/pseuds/black_tea
Summary: Mulder and Scully investigate an unexplained disappearance at an historic hotel, only it's not the first time guests have mysteriously vanished.***If you haven't, I would suggest reading the rest of the series first, or at least the story prior to this one.***





	1. Joined

**Author's Note:**

> I finally got something done. I've been working on (and by working on, I mean picking at) three different fics from three different fandoms. Finally the writer's block broke this weekend. This is the result. The rough draft is just about complete - it's mostly down to editing at this point, so I'll be doing once weekly updates to give myself a chance to get the clean up done.
> 
> Some of the previous stories could be read by themselves or out of order. Due to the relationship stuff in it, this should really be read as part of the rest of the series. It picks up right after 'Lapse.'

Scully accepted the glass of wine from the bartender and eased back to allow other patrons access to the bar. A light touch against his hip and the distinctive scent of omega alerted him to the presence of his partner who had crept up in the hubbub of the busy establishment. Scully followed him to a table in an out of the way corner, empty by dint of it's being too small to accommodate the groups of coworkers out for happy hour at the end of the work day.

With the investigation into Mulder's actions in Swinton over, Scully's thoughts had turned back to the obviously changing relationship between him and his partner. He couldn't forget the feel of Mulder's mouth and the way he tasted. Scully was also plagued with the feeling that he had taken something without giving in return, and it bothered him.

Mulder was regarding him with a look that made Scully wonder if he was being painfully obvious. “Those photos of the supposed UFO in Oklahoma turned out to be a fake.” He said, expression warm and maybe slightly amused. It was hard to tell.

“I could have told you that. Actually, I did tell you that. Several times.”

“I know, that's why I wanted another opinion. You have to give them credit – they weren't bad fakes.” He went on, seemingly unconcerned by the demise of what had been in his own opinion a somewhat promising lead.

“Good enough for the Weekly World News, maybe.” Scully couldn't resist teasing.

“Ouch.”

Scully took a sip of wine before setting the glass down with an excessive amount of care. “Mulder, would you like to come over tonight?”

Mulder rested his arms on the table and leaned closer. “Of course.” His lips twitched up into a smile. 

Scully resisted the urge to touch his face, his lips. They weren't in private, and maybe Mulder's paranoia was rubbing off, but he didn't think that obviously flirting in public was a good idea. But in his own home? That was another matter, and the though of having actual privacy sent a shiver through his belly.

“Since we have somewhere else to go, there's no reason to stay here.” He downed the rest of his beer and favored Scully with a grin.

At that moment, no words had ever sounded sweeter to Scully's ears.

* * *

Mulder couldn't help the thrum of anticipation as Scully unlocked the door. He let one hand come to rest on his lower back, unable to resist temptation to that degree. The deadbolt slid back and Scully pushed open the door, pausing to turn on the lights. He promptly toed off his shoes and undid his jacket. “Can I get you anything?”

“No, I'm fine.” Mulder followed suit with his shoes, nudging them out of the way with with his toes before laying his jacket across the back of a convenient chair. He sank down onto the sofa and glanced up to see Scully looking wonderfully mussed with his shirt untucked and unbuttoned. 

“Hey,” Scully smiled, the unnecessary greeting breaking the tension as he sat down close beside him. Warm hands cupped Mulder's face, Scully's thumbs caressing his cheeks. The alpha scent teased at Mulder's nose, as tantalizing as his hands and lips. Scully edged closer and covered Mulder's mouth with his own, nuzzling and licking at his lips, demanding entrance. Mulder eagerly opened for his tongue. Scully tasted every bit as good as he remembered, and this time there was no reason to hurry.

He let his fingertips wander down the strip of exposed skin from Scully's throat to the waistband of his trousers. “Hmmm,” Scully sighed as he broke the kiss. He pressed his lips to the corner of Mulder's mouth and then to his chin, his mouth and eyes smiling. “I've been wanting this since – God, you smell good.”

Not being an alpha, Mulder wasn't certain exactly what he smelled like to Scully. However, he was well aware that his body was starting to kick into overdrive at the prospect of being mounted by a proper alpha. “That's because you're making me wet.” He admitted, seeing no reason to avoid what would become obvious if things were to progress much farther.

“Am I now?” Scully's expression turned mischievous. “Just from a kiss?”

“And your chemical pheromone cocktail, and your shirt is half off.” 

“You've seen me without a shirt before. You've _blown_ me before.” He pointed out, poking holes in Mulder's defense.

“Yeah, and do you have any idea how good your dick felt in my mouth?” Mulder's hands were running over Scully's bare ribs, chest and belly. Scully slid the rest of the way out of his shirt exposing smooth fair skin, freckled across the shoulders and upper arms, and a dusting of soft copper colored hairs over his chest and abdomen. His was a trim, neat little body. A bit shorter than average, and though not fit in the way of an exercise freak, he clearly took care of himself. 

Mulder's words were rewarded with an intake of breath before Scully's lips nuzzled against his own again, his hands unbuttoning Mulder's shirt and exploring the bare skin underneath. It felt good to be touched like that, especially considering just how long it had been. Warm hands slid around to the small of his back, nails lightly dragging over the skin making him arch. He had ended up half reclined against the arm of the sofa with Scully on top of him now sucking at his shoulders and nuzzling at his neck in a silent request for Mulder to bare his throat. The neck was a place of interest for alphas as it was exposed skin ripe for marking and heavy with the omega's scent. The areas around the omega's scent glands tended to be sensitive, and it felt good to be mouthed and caressed there. It was also considered sexually submissive behavior to offer one's neck. Mulder promptly lifted his chin and tilted his head to give Scully access, his breathing becoming heavy as Scully found a sensitive place to suck on.

He tensed for a moment as unease crept in at just how fast he felt himself unraveling under an alpha's attentions. It was normal for any human to get caught up in the heat of the moment, but this was more – complete and utter capitulation, submission to another person. Scully must have felt him tense, because he lifted up slightly so that they were nearly nose to nose. “You OK?” he asked, gently stroking his hair.

“Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.” It wasn't just any alpha, after all. It was Scully, one of the only people to truly earn his trust, the man he worked with everyday, whom he argued with about extraterrestrial life and questionable photographs. “Maybe we should use your bed before we end up rolling off the couch.”

Scully puffed out a small low laugh. “Probably a good idea.” He gave Mulder a quick kiss on the lips and scooted back on the sofa. Mulder eased himself up, ditching his shirt and wanting to do the same with his pants that were now uncomfortably tight. 

Scully stood, clearly not in any better shape than Mulder himself and offered his hand which Mulder took and allowed himself to be lead to the bedroom. Mulder felt some of his prior uneasiness fade at the sight of the familiar room filled with familiar things and Scully's familiar scent.

“Let's get these off of you.” Scully murmured, hands moving to unbutton Mulder's pants. “I've never gotten to see you naked.”

“I've never seen all of you all at once.” Mulder pointed out as Scully eased his trousers and boxer shorts down to puddle around his ankles. His belly tightened in arousal under Scully's gaze.

“Here, then.” Scully began stripping off his trousers and briefs, almost tripping in his haste. He steadied himself against Mulder, laughing, breaking the awkwardness of first time mutual nudity. Laughter turned to kissing, hungry and desperate now as Scully pushed him towards the bed.

“Bossy little alpha.” Mulder breathlessly teased.

“Want you,” came the reply as they climbed onto the welcoming mattress.

Scully kicked the covers back before turning all his attention to Mulder. Mulder reached for him, pulling him close. The heat from Scully's body soaking into him, skin soft against Mulder's own. “What do you like?” Scully asked. “Besides sucking me.” The last addition was followed by a soft lingering kiss to his neck.

“Mmmm...play with my nipples.” He invited as his hands reached down to cup Scully's ass. His breathing deepened as clever fingers rolled and tweaked one of the little nubs only to be replaced by the sucking heat of Scully's mouth. Mulder moaned then, back arching. Scully gently but firmly pushed him back on to the mattress before bestowing the same attention on the other nipple. He shimmied back up Mulder's body so that they were nose to nose again.

“Hey.” 

“Hey.” Mulder smiled in response, reaching up to push the hair back from Scully's face. Alpha pheromones filled his nose making his body feel hot and trembly. He pressed his groin upwards, arousal and desire turning into a deepening need. Scully ground down against him with a gasp. The smaller man moved down his body a little so he could rub against Mulder's chest and abdomen, coating his lover in his scent. Typical alpha behavior that Mulder would normally find obnoxiously possessive. Coming from Scully it was adorable, and he didn't mind smelling like Scully. Scully smelled nice. More than nice. His eyes fluttered closed as he just _felt_. Scully climbed back up his body to suck at his neck, one hand exploring lower, stroking, cupping, sliding fingers through the slick that his body so helpfully provided. 

Mulder spread his legs further apart, invitation obvious. Rational though was rapidly being replaced with the need to be joined with the alpha on top of him. Scully's fingers felt damn good inside of him, but they weren't enough. “More.” The demand came out in an embarrassing whine, but he didn't care.

“OK, baby. God you're wet.”

Mulder squirmed under him in an attempt to roll onto his belly and hike his ass upwards. Classic omega 'mate me _now_ ' posture, but instinct was taking over. He wasn't in heat, but Scully was the first alpha he had been intimate with in years, and his body was deciding to make up for lost time. Scully made no objection, instead making a sound of pure want, the head of his cock pressing against him and then into him. It felt _good_. More than good. He pressed back against Scully, rolling his hips in time with the alpha's thrusts. Sensitive nerve endings lit up under the stimulation, and he moaned helplessly as Scully firmly gripped his hips and pounded into him. Mulder reached back to stroke his hard and leaking cock, lost in the pleasure he was receiving. Suddenly, Scully shifted, changing his angle, seeking something that he obviously found as Mulder cried out into the pillow, body bucking. Whatever it was, Scully repeated once then twice more before Mulder came, shaking and moaning.

Scully continued for a little longer before he tipped over the edge and slid down to lay atop of Mulder's back. He nuzzled against the nape of his neck. “So good.” He murmured, voice slurry.

Mulder stretched as he luxuriated in the after glow, his body relaxed. Scully rolled to the side with his arm thrown across Mulder's back. They lay still for awhile, sated and drowsy. Finally, Mulder turned on his side to face his bed mate. “What did you do that felt so good?”

Scully smiled. “I'm a medical doctor. I know how your body works – it's just knowing what to aim for.”

“Oh?”

“If you want to ensure a baby, that's also the place to try and hit.” He lifted his hand to brush his finger tips over Mulder's nose an lips. “It's amazing how many people don't know that. Glad it felt good.”

“I enjoyed myself so much it's a little frightening.” He admitted, some of his earlier insecurity returning.

“I would hope you'd enjoy yourself. Sex is usually considered an enjoyable activity.”

“Yeah, it's just that I don't usually have sex like this.” Mulder resisted the nearly overwhelming urge to hide his face against Scully's neck. More omega urges that he couldn't quite keep at bay.

Scully looked puzzled for a moment before his face cleared in understanding. “Oh, you mean with an alpha.”

“Yeah.” He slowly moved his hand to brush the stray hair out of Scully's face and then allowed his fingers to stray and trace his features with a soft touch. “I think I forgot what it was like and what effect it would have on me. I spend so much time trying not to behave like an omega, and it's all stripped away in a moment of passion.”

Scully's face softened. “There's not a thing wrong with being an omega. Your body is amazing. You get to have the best parts of a male and female. You can create life, bond and be close to a mate in a way that betas never experience.”

“And the only price to pay is a lifetime of fighting ingrained behavior, trying not to be submissive to every alpha I interact with, and only a tiny pill to keep me from turning into a virtual slave to my own body.” Mulder replied in a voice tinged with bitterness. It wasn't directed at Scully nor was he about to regret a round of really good sex, but past experiences had left a mark that wasn't so easy to rub away.

“Mulder,” Scully cupped his cheek, forcing his partner to look him in the face. “There's nothing weak about being omega, and you don't have to fight your natural inclinations when you're with me.” He settled down more comfortably on the bed. “There are impulses I have to be aware of as well, and it can be exhausting. It's easy to second guess every action, every conversation with omegas. I don't want to cause someone pain or distress because I let my instincts control me. I know you think I worry too much about it sometimes, and I probably do. However, it's better that than the alternative.” He paused and took a deep breath. “But even then, sometimes it's still good to let go when you're with someone that's safe.” He smiled warmly. “It's healthy. We can fight it and pretend all we want, but underneath it all, we are what we are.”

At that point, Mulder gave up the fight and scooted himself closer so that he could tuck his head under Scully's chin. He inhaled deeply, breathing in Scully's pheromones. He let the scent of the sated alpha relax and comfort him. There was nothing at all wrong with Scully, he was perfect. It was just that for perhaps the first time in his life, he had enjoyed being omega, enjoyed surrendering to an alpha. The brief bit of intimacy in the car in Swinton hadn't prepared him for this, and he didn't know what it meant.

Scully's sleepy voice pulled him out of a doze. “I should at least clean you up, or you're not going to be very comfortable later.” A moment later the little alpha disengaged causing Mulder to grump in protest. He heard the water running in the bathroom, and a moment later Scully returned with a warm wash cloth to undo the worst of the damage. Mulder let himself be fussed over, feeling too relaxed and sleepy to do much and just wanting Scully back in bed with him.

* * *

The next morning Mulder put in his best effort to not look like he'd spent the night being rolled around in bed by his partner. Over all the result was decent – his shirt collar almost covered the bruises on his neck. For his part, Scully was all relaxed calm, the very picture of a man who had just gotten lucky. He reached up to fuss with Mulder's collar, but paused to lightly touch the most blatant hickey before sliding one arm around Mulder's waist and cupping the nape of his neck in his hand. Scully's mouth covered the spot, worrying it gently between teeth and then giving it a little lick and a kiss. The air left Mulder's lungs in a hiss. It was difficult to scold Scully for mauling him when he actually liked it. He then released Mulder and put in a serious attempt at rearranging his shirt.

“I think that's as good as it's going to get.” He looked completely unrepentant.

“Well, people might just assume I've come out of a heat cycle and be too uncomfortable to say anything.” He shrugged into his coat.

That raised Scully's eyebrows. “Really?”

“Straight male betas? Of course. They don't really know what to make of being in heat. Trust me. It's too outside their own experience as men to fully understand or feel comfortable with it. Then some of them kind of forget that omegas do enjoy normal sex in between.”

“Huh, I suppose that makes sense.” Scully looked as if he were about to say something else, and then stopped.

“It might be better not to show up together. I'm thinking discretion might be the safest course of action.” Mulder carefully watched Scully's face and saw it clear.

“I agree. I've always wondered if there was a specific reason they wanted to partner you with an alpha, and I'd rather not be seen as playing into it.”

Mulder reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “Give me five minutes head start when we get there, and we should be good.”

True to expectation, no one commented on Mulder's appearance. Working in the basement allowed him to avoid the few alphas he was likely to run into. Betas wouldn't be able to pick up the fact that he smelled more like Scully than normal. He felt good, better than he had in a while. Even the soreness he felt had a delicious quality to it. He began leafing through the stack of photographs on his desk. He would have to have Scully look at them – he needed another set of eyes, though they were likely to make Scully twitchy. 

His partner arrived a few minutes later carrying the newspaper he must have stopped for to kill time. “Look what I have.” Mulder held up a photograph.

Scully leaned forward and peered at the slightly blurry image. “What, exactly, am I looking at?”

“There's a bridge down in rural Virginia that's been a center for strange phenomena for decades. An amateur ghost hunter tried catching it on film.”

“Isn't that a fairly common urban legend? Haunted bridges? And that could just as easily be an issue with the film as a restless spirit.” Scully pointed out, seeming less than impressed.

“Well, it just so happens, there are plenty more.”

Scully picked up his coffee mug from the corner of the desk. He gestured towards the pictures and began to speak before shaking his head. “Never mind. I need coffee for this.” He turned and walked out clutching the white mug.

Mulder leaned back and smiled, not even bothering to hide the fact he was staring at his partner's ass.


	2. Assignment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mulder and Scully end up with a new assignment and a little undercover work.

The early hour meant the pool wasn't crowded, so it didn't take long for Scully to catch sight of his partner swimming laps. He headed around to the end to wait for him. “Hey, Mulder.” He called out as his partner drew near enough to hear him. Mulder stopped, pulling his goggles down to hang around his neck, and pushing his wet hair back from his face.

“Scully? What are you doing here. You're not exactly dressed for a swim.”

“I just got a call. We're needed immediately. I was sent to come get you.”

Mulder scrambled up out of the pool, and Scully felt his face and neck grow hot. There was nothing quite like seeing your lover dripping wet and wearing nothing but a pair of speedos. Scully looked away before his reaction became embarrassing. “Did they say why?”

Scully shook his head, trying very hard not to admire the fit body so touchably close to him. “Just that it was important.” Evidence of their love making stood out against his neck, shoulders, and inner thigh – marked for all the world, or at least everyone who came to the pool Tuesday morning, to see. Gorgeous. A beta might be uncomfortable with obvious marks, but it was usually considered par for the course with alphas and omegas. The alpha in him filled with pleased pride and no little bit of lust. The only thing that marred the very pretty picture, and helped save Scully from his libido, was that the chlorine hid Mulder's wonderful omega scent. 

“You'd think by the way you were acting, you'd never seen me naked before.”

“And how am I acting, exactly?” _When you're naked, I get to touch and do nice things to you._ At that wistful thought his hand automatically went to Mulder's lower back as they walked. Catching himself, he quickly dropped it, choosing to clasp his hands safely behind his back instead. Mulder said nothing, but looked faintly amused.

He also ignored his question. Instead, he leaned towards Scully and lowered his voice.“I think you have a thing for playing around in water.”

“What makes you think that?” Scully had never given the matter much thought or questioned his preferences. 

“You seemed pretty happy in the shower. Give me few minutes to get dressed, and I'll be right out.”

He waited in the front lobby where he tried to think about unsexy things. As promised, Mulder appeared a short time later, hair still damp, but no longer smelling of pool chemicals. He had a gym bag slung over one shoulder. As they walked out, Mulder's hand came to rest briefly on Scully's shoulder bringing with it a comfortable warmth and weight. Scully smiled at the lingering touch, curiosity regarding their frantic summons momentarily replaced by the comforting contact.

* * *

“This is the situation,” Skinner began. “A federal drug enforcement agent recently disappeared while investigating a possible suspect for smuggling cocaine. He had followed the suspect to a hotel where he was attempting to gather evidence. We wasn't working alone. His partner, a John O'Malley, was not only unharmed, but has no idea what happened.”

“What about the men they were investigating? Could someone have tipped them off that they were being spied on?”

“That was everyone's first thought. However, there is no evidence linking them to the victim's disappearance. In fact, it seems doubtful they even realized they had been followed to the hotel. The original team working the case hasn't had any luck. There just isn't any evidence to explain why an agent of sound mind and exemplary record would just vanish one night.”

“So they want a fresh set of eyes. But why us?”

“Because, Agent Mulder, the case is more than a little strange. A man disappears from his room late one night, no sign of forced entry, no sign of a struggle, no sign that anyone else was there at all. He and his partner were taking shifts sleeping and keeping an eye on the suspect. It was Darrio's turn to sleep, and when his partner came back he was gone.”

“Could he have left on his own accord?” Scully asked.

Skinner sighed. “It's highly unlikely. The room was high enough up that going out a window wouldn't have been an option, and none of the security cameras show him leaving the building. It would also have been extremely out of character. Granted, the area was searched just in case, but no one turned up anything or anyone who happened to see him.”

Skinner paused for a moment. “There's another reason the two of you make a logical choice.” He went on grudgingly. “In case the perpetrator is connected with the hotel itself, it's best if your investigation is kept as quiet as possible. It's easy for an alpha and omega pair to blend in. A couple on vacation. And though it maybe unfair, many people don't suspect omega's of being in law enforcement.”

Mulder managed to keep a straight face. How ironic, pretending to be what they were in reality. He took a fat envelope from Skinner containing the details of the case. 

Before they turned to leave, Skinner added, “This is a case we need to solve.”

“Politics?”

“That will be all Agent Mulder, Scully.”

“Sounds like someone's exerting some pressure.” Mulder said quietly once they were out of Skinner's office. “I wonder what they aren't telling us.”

Once in the basement office, Mulder opened the file and began rifling through the contents before stopping suddenly upon seeing the name of the hotel 'The Aster'. The question that immediately came to mind was whether or not the people that wanted them on the case realized that this was an actual X-File. 

His feelings must have been plain on his face, because Scully regarded him curiously. “What is it, Mulder? Do you recognize something about this case?” He sat down, continuing to study his partner .

“This really is an X-File. It's the Aster Hotel.”

“I can't say it sounds familiar.”

“It was built in 1931 and is considered a historic building. It's an amazing example of Art Deco design, and it's been carefully preserved and maintained. It's also been the sight of a number of unexplained disappearances over the years starting in 1942. It's never often – years, sometimes a decade will go by in between, but the victims are never found.”

“A large popular hotel will have a lot of people moving through it. It's only natural that from time to time something will happen. Who knows how many truly disappeared versus didn't want to be found.”  
Scully replied, studying the photo of the hotel's facade. 

“That's true to an extent, but this is a lot of people disappearing in the exact same way. In fact, Darrio is unlucky number eleven.”

“But if it is foul play, the first disappearance was in the early forties. There's no way they could be related.”

“That is why it's an X-File.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled at the man who was now his partner in more than one definition of the word. Scully just stared levelly back. “Since we have to be a convincing couple, does that mean you just got officially permission to bite me?” He tilted his head to expose the side his neck that was already sporting a fading bruise.

Scully folded his arms across his chest and continued to fix him with a steady stare. “I didn't know I needed official permission to do that.” The corner of his mouth twitched and his eyes crinkled at the corners as he hid a smile.

Mulder sat forward again, looking eager. “Well, I guess we should be packing our bags. We're going on a trip.”

* * *

Though within reasonable driving distance, they stopped at a cheap motel. If they wanted others to believe that they were a happy couple, then they would have to make sure they gave off the right cues. When two people spent a lot of time together, it was only natural that some scent would transfer. Usually it wasn't that much and simply washed away in the shower. However, individuals who were intimate carried each others scent on their skins in a much more noticeable way, and bathing wouldn't strip it all off. To add to that, alphas liked their omegas to smell like them. The behavior was a little possessive, sure, but it was also comforting in a way Scully had trouble fully defining.

Between swimming around in chlorine and then showering, most of Scully's scent was gone from Mulder's skin. There was no need to bring their bags in, and a few minutes later found them standing by the bed unbuttoning shirts and sliding out of clothes. They didn't _need_ to have sex. Some time spent cuddling together in their underwear would have sufficed, but Scully couldn't get the image of Mulder dripping wet in nothing but skimpy swim trunks out of his head. His partner must have had similar ideas, because he was eyeing Scully with definite interest.

“We're just being extra thorough.” Mulder said as he was pulled forward into a kiss. Scully happened to agree, but his mouth was too otherwise occupied to say anything. Scully's eyes fluttered closed as he focused on the feel of his tongue sliding against Mulder's, his mouth warm and slick. Scully pushed him down onto the bed with it's scratchy coverlet. Skin rubbed against skin, as Scully rutted against him, moving his mouth to bite at the join of neck and shoulder. As Mulder's body heated and flushed from exertion and arousal, his wonderful scent intensified filling the alpha with desperate need. In the end, their joining was fast and inelegant, but no less passionate. After the case was over, Scully promised himself that they have the opportunity to really take some time together. At least now they would properly smell like one another. He felt an irrational amount of satisfaction in that. They cleaned up, made themselves presentable again and headed out.

“So what are you hoping to find here?” Scully asked, relaxing back in the passenger's seat.

Mulder glanced at him, a smile quirking his lips. “Feeling, good?”

“Yes. Very.”

“To be honest, I'm not completely sure. There are a number of ghost stories related to the hotel. Guests waking up in the night to feel like something is in the room with them, strange noises, odors, the usual. It's an old building, and its seen a lot of people come and go.”

“Do you believe that Darrio was abducted by a ghost?” Scully couldn't quite keep the smirk from his voice. “Even if there were ghosts, and there's no evidence to support their existence, how would an incorporeal being be able to exert that much physical force over a physically fit adult male?”

“Experiences involving ghosts are not uncommon. In fact, they are so common, that I find it difficult to believe that everyone is either lying or confusing noisy pipes with spirit activity. As to how, I can't be certain. However, there have been instances where presumed spirits have been able to interact with the physical world. Or it could be something else entirely that is being misattributed to a haunting. Either way, an impressive number of people have experienced unexplained phenomena while staying at the Aster. It's very plausible that there is a connection between that and the disappearances, especially considering how long they've been occurring.”

“Or there's a perfectly logical explanation involving the suspect in the drug case realizing that Darrio was spying on him.” Scully pointed out. 

“That's what everyone originally thought, but he couldn't have done it himself. And even if he had been able to signal to someone on the outside to take Darrio out, remember Darrio's partner was watching this guy at the time. There's absolutely nothing to suggest how such a thing happened. If it had been something that simple, they never would have put us on the case.”

Scully didn't have an immediate answer for that, though he wouldn't have been remotely surprised if something had been overlooked in the initial investigation. Either that, or for some reason known only to himself, Darrio decided to leave his old life behind and take off without anyone being the wiser. 

Traffic became heavier the closer they came to the downtown area. At least they were likely to miss the worst of rush hour. Highway driving turned to city driving, and Scully looked out the window with interest at the mix of old and new buildings separated here and there by parking garages and small above ground lots. 

They stopped at a traffic light and Mulder tapped him on the shoulder. “There it is, Scully. The Aster Hotel.”


	3. Lay of the Land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scully fails to put two and two together with a piece of information. Virtual cookies to anyone who figures out what he's forgotten.
> 
> \- The Aster is inspired by an actual hotel near where I live. As far as I know, the real building doesn't have strange paranormal activity, but it's pretty nifty anyway.

The hotel was an impressive building sitting on the corner of two cross streets and towering upwards. A row of shops occupied the outside of the ground floor while windows stared down from above. Designs wove their way across the top of the lower level and the tops of the windows were also adorned. Scully briefly caught sight of the main entrance before they turned to enter the parking garage underneath the building. The entrance way was beautifully framed with more designs, this time Grecian inspired, in bronze against black. Then they promptly lost sight as the drove downwards.

They pulled out their bags and left the car in the care of a valet and made their way through a small less ornamented lobby with various seating intended for guests who were waiting for their cars, and out into a hall that wended around a corner and to a row of elevators. Scully paused to take in several black and white photographs of the Aster from the early thirties as well as a plaque declaring that the hotel was on the historic register. The ding of the elevator brought his attention back and he joined Mulder inside.

Around the corner from the elevators sat the front lobby. Scully looked around, suitably impressed. Marble floors, dark wood, deco style light fixtures, interwoven designs across the edges of the ceilings.   
The entrance to the bar and restaurant stood across from the lobby, and though he couldn't see the interior easily from where he stood, he would have bet money that it was visually impressive. 

Mulder gently squeezed his shoulder. “We'll have plenty of time to look around.”

“Oh, yeah.” 

The desk manned by a young female omega who favored them with an amused smile. Whether it was due to Scully's reaction to her place of employment or because he and Mulder were alpha and omega, Scully couldn't be sure. He left his his fingers loosely entwined with Mulder's as he spoke to the girl, not because it was necessary for their non ruse, but because he could. Room key acquired, Scully went back to taking in his surroundings. He let himself drift over closer to where the host's stand stood at the entrance to the bar/restaurant and peeked in at the huge space. He got a brief impression of dark wood and bronze, huge murals and an impossibly high ceiling before Mulder steered him forward.

“This place is amazing, Mulder.”

“It is, and we're going to get to see a lot more of it.”

Their room was large and comfortable with a sizable bed and a sitting area in the front. It lacked the historic charm of the public spaces, but then, Scully couldn't see the management wanting to trust guests with antique furniture and fixtures. Scully dropped his bag and went to peer out the window. They were four stories up and facing the larger thoroughfare. People were leaving work now, and the sidewalk was full of commuters heading for parking lots and bus stops, dodging cars and each other in an eagerness to get home.

“Darrio's room was on the fifth floor?”

“Yeah, I doubt he left by the window.” Mulder replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. “It's nice to finally stay at a place where the mattress isn't sagging or lumpy.”

Scully smiled, and walked over to where he was sitting so he could lean down for a kiss. “Agreed.” Mulder's arms came up around his waist and nuzzled against Scully's abdomen. “I know the idea is to not draw attention to ourselves, but we're going to need access to Darrio's room at some point.”

“We can get the key from the manager. They still have it closed up, since the case hasn't been closed yet. He was very cooperative during the initial investigation, and the FBI considers him trustworthy.” Mulder released Scully and sat back. “We should take a closer look at the file before we do anything else. There could be something important that was missed.” 

Scully stepped back and toed off his shoes while Mulder went in search of his briefcase. “Here we go.” He returned bearing the file as Scully made himself comfortable on the bed. “I also dug up everything I could find about the Aster in the X-Files.”

Scully began looking through the notes and photographs going back as far as 1942. The first disappearance involved a male beta named Eddie Halm. He was staying at the hotel while passing through on business. He had been married, happily by all accounts, and reasonably successful. No one who knew him could believe he had simply run away, but there had been no other explanation at the time. Then a female beta, Doris Hardy who had come to the hotel to meet a lover. However, when he arrived the next day, she had mysteriously vanished. That had been 1949. The stories were all similar – people who had been alone overnight. People who had no reason to intentionally slip out of sight and vanish. Ordinary people with ordinary lives. Scully had to admit that Darrio fit the profile of the other victims. The only thing that set him apart was that his reason for being at the hotel was by nature more dangerous.

He switched his attention to several newspaper stories regarding the Aster's 'haunted' history which dated back almost as far, though apparently the early 'witnesses' weren't as keen to be interviewed as the guests over the past few decades.

“You have to admit it's odd that so many people have vanished in exactly the same way. In five cases the rooms were locked from the inside, just like Darrio.”

“It's interesting, but they may not all be related. Despite what anyone said, it's always possible that Eddie Halm wasn't as happily married as everyone claimed. George Barwell seems fairly suspicious, though, considering he was in town for a business deal that could have made him a wealthy man. That was only ten years ago.”

“I noticed something else.” Mulder began. “The rooms they vanished from were all on this side of the building. Different floors in some cases, but they all faced Fourth Street.” 

Scully tried to find any patterns that could link vanished guests together, but their commonality seemed to be restricted to their lack of company on the nights they disappeared. Two every decade. Was that in itself a pattern? But if it was a case of murder, it would be doubtful the perpetrator would be able to handle someone like Darrio at that point in his life.

“I don't know what to say. You're right in that there are some strange coincidences, but they may just be that – coincidences. It's hard to know if they relate directly to Darrio or not. Even if the prior disappearances were related to each other, it's possible that Darrio wasn't. Especially considering he was involved in a stakeout.”

Scully set down the photograph of George Barwell and stretched. “We should spend some time familiarizing ourselves with the hotel. If we're dealing with a potential abduction and possibly murder, then it's been pulled off by someone who knows the building far better than we do.”

“I'm not so sure that's the scenario we're looking at, but I agree.”

* * *

Considering the Aster's status as a historic building as well as it's beautiful interior, it was perfectly normal for guests to wander around the place. The upper guest floors were all similar to Mulder and Scully's. The main points of interest were at the lobby and first levels. They took a well appointed elevator down to the first floor which was experiencing a flurry of activity centered around a large ballroom. They unobtrusively poked their heads into a truly stunning space. Mirrors covered the walls, and even the ceiling was ornate. The railings lining the walkway that provided entrance from the second floor were wrought in intricate patterns. It was also clearly being set up for an event, the formidable looking woman in charge kept throwing them suspicious glances, so they backed away.

“It's a wedding.” Scully informed his partner peering down from the railing to point out what was clearly a bridal party.

“I imagine they get a lot of those here. Must cost a small fortune.” 

They continued to wander, eventually descending to the lobby level that contained the bar and restaurant. Both eating areas shared the same open space, the restaurant being at the farther end. The bar stood in the middle with tables and large comfortable looking chairs arranged around the perimeter. At the end farthest from the restaurant seating stood a stage and fountain complete with statues of Neptune's horses. 

Looking up, they could see where they had looked down from above, and huge murals covered the ceilings. “This is like stepping back in time.” Scully breathed. It was hard not to be impressed. However, they weren't actually on vacation. The Aster also presented the challenge of being a large building with lots of people and lots of places to hide.

Mulder must have had a similar thought. “We're going to have to narrow things down – find out if there's some kind of link between the rooms of the missing guests.”

“Assuming they're even connected.”

“We have to start somewhere. Darrio didn't just vanish into thin air. _Something_ happened to him while he was in his room. So it stands to reason there had to be a weak point there.”

“Oh, hello there. More of us!” Scully turned to find a thirty something smallish man at his elbow, comfortably plump with a pleasant, good natured face. Inhaling, it quickly became obvious that he was omega. “Sorry to interrupt.” He continued, “but it's always nice not to feel like the odd ones out.” Scully smiled slightly, understanding exactly what he meant. Another man, taller and leaner, appeared behind him, clearly his mate.

“If there are any other omegas and alphas in the building, Robbie will find them. He has a built in radar, I swear. I'm Tim.” He held out his hand and both Scully and Mulder shook. “If we aren't interrupting anything, would you like to have a drink with us?”

“Sure.” Mulder answered as they introduced themselves.“How long are you in town for?”

“We were here for Robbie's sister's wedding yesterday. We decided to stay an extra few days. It's a long drive back to Iowa.” They slid into a booth, Tim stretching as if the thought of the drive was already making him stiff.

“We just needed to get away for awhile, and this place has so much history.” Mulder replied. A loaded statement considering the nature of the case.

Robbie visibly perked up. “Oh yes! There are a lot of stories about this place. It's supposed to be haunted. I admit, that was one of the reasons I wanted to stay here.”

Tim regarded his mate fondly. “You've gotten him started, you might not get him to stop.”

“In that case, he's found the right person.” Scully laughed at the coincidence of the two men bumping into each other. “And what do you think of the paranormal?” He couldn't help but ask the phlegmatic Tim.

“I can't say for sure if it exists or not, but if it does, I would rather it stay out of our bedroom.”

Mulder and Robbie were deep in conversation, having found a kindred spirit. Robbie, it turned out had experienced several unexplained events in his childhood. “Angie, that's my sister, never noticed a thing. She's about as perceptive as a brick. She's great otherwise, but this kind of thing would bore her silly. She was never one for history either.”

“And what do you do, Daniel?” 

“Oh, sorry, I'm a doctor.” He saw no reason for an elaborate lie or backstory when staying close to the truth would do. They chatted for awhile longer, Mulder sharing information on the history of the hotel's alleged paranormal activity while leaving out Darrio's disappearance. Scully suspected him of roping the little man in in hopes that he might notice something. An extra pair of eyes and ears. Something niggled at the edges of Scully's mind – something that could be important, but that he couldn't quite remember. He wondered how many non beta guests the hotel had at any given time. There was no way of knowing for sure. It wasn't something anyone kept record of, and it would be considered invasive and possibly discriminatory to demand to know someone's status. Still, as a minority population, there couldn't be many. 

They eventually said their good byes with vague plans of meeting up again sometime before The Drive. The way Tim spoke of it, made Scully picture capital letters. “See now if Robbie experiences anything out of the ordinary, he'll let me know.”

“Or he could assume there's paranormal activity despite perfectly rational explanations because you put the idea in his head.” Scully pointed out.

“The idea was already there. Didn't you hear him? It's not like the hotel's history is a big secret, and if there's anything funny going on here he'll at least tell us.”

“Big if. This is a large building, if, _if_ something were to occur, there's no way of predicting where it would happen. It could be pure chance that we or Robbie and Tim would experience it. _If_ anything really happened at all.” The feeling of having forgotten something returned in force.

“That's true.” Mulder turned and walked backwards so he could see Scully's face. “But it won't hurt to have him on our side.”

“If people are sensing something out of the ordinary, and it's the same thing that's making guests disappear seemingly at random, why is it only taking some and not others?”

Mulder turned back around and shrugged. “Don't know. Maybe because they weren't alone? They didn't meet some kind of criteria? Used a particularly disgusting body spray? Just in case, we probably shouldn't sleep alone.”

“I wasn't planning to, though I doubt it would lead to anything dire.” He reached out and took Mulder's hand in his own.


	4. The Visitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A strange experience leaves Mulder and Scully with more questions than answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About any non alien technology that might appear in these stories: I started middle school in 1990 and graduated from undergrad in December of 2000 (class of 00, woo!). So I remember the 1990's...well, mostly. In the intervening decades some details get fuzzy around the edges, especially since I was not a particularly gadgety person (though I remember the dial up noise well. Ah, dial up). I do look things up, but sometimes it's unclear what was in common usage and how well it exactly functioned. However, since we're talking about a government agency here, I would assume Mulder and Scully would have access to better stuff than the average Joe. I guess what I'm saying is that in the interest of not driving myself completely round the bend worrying about it, and in the interest of story telling, there might be some things that are a bit off.

Mulder woke suddenly in the dark for no reason he could immediately ascertain. He lay very still, muscles tensing, prickles running up the back of his neck. The room was completely quiet, and as far as he knew, they were the only ones in it. And yet, he had the disturbing feeling of not being alone. He lay very still not daring to move yet. Scully was a warm solid weight in his arms, relaxed, his belly pressing against Mulder as he breathed. His scent lacked the sharpness of excitement or alarm, nor did it have the subtle spicy quality of arousal. He was all contentment wrapped in the arms of his lover, his breath warm against Mulder's chest. Normally Mulder would have found himself soothed by Scully's quiet presence.

The feeling not only persisted, but began to intensify to the point that Mulder began to doubt he was imaging things. He was also hampered from easy movement by Scully's sleeping body. He needed to very carefully wake him without disturbing what ever it was. He needed confirmation from someone else that something was happening. He gently but firmly squeezed Scully's hip and gave it a slight shake.

“Scully.” He whispered, slowly bringing his hand up to lightly cover his bed mate's mouth.

Scully did come awake then at having his face touched. “Shhh.” Mulder shushed quietly in his ear.

He had no doubt that Scully was wondering what was going on. Suddenly, Mulder felt him tense. He lay very still for several long moments as if trying to listen for something. Scully then very slowly and carefully shifted the arm that had been flung over Mulder's side, so that his hand rested lightly on his ribs instead. A position more conducive to sudden movement. Just as the tension became almost unbearable, it suddenly ceased. The night was normal again. Scully immediately rolled over and hit the switch on the bedside lamp. Soft light bathed the back half of the room leaving the area with the sofa and chairs in shadow, but illuminating enough to make it clear that nothing or no one was there. 

Scully turned to look at Mulder, puzzlement and alarm warring on his face. “What was that?”

“You felt it too?”

He nodded, pushing his sleep disheveled hair back from his face. “I could have sworn someone else was here. Not that I saw anything or even heard someone, but...”

“I woke up suddenly and just felt it. I don't know if that's what woke me, or if there had been a noise.” Mulder looked around helplessly. 

Scully hauled himself out of bed and walked over to switch on the standing lamp by the chair so that the front of the room was illuminated. He hesitated for a moment before retrieving his gun and flipping on the bathroom light. Apparently it was unoccupied, because he stepped out a moment later.

Mulder slid out of bed, grabbing the complementary bathrobe and went to inspect the door. “Even if someone stole a key, the chain's still across the door. You can't go back out and redo the chain from the other side.”

Scully opened the door to the empty hallway. At 3:45 in the morning even the noisy wedding party had gone to sleep. He experimentally opened and shut the door. “It's not possible to do this silently. If you were woken by a soft noise, that could have been the door if they were careful. But with both of us being awake, we would have heard them leave. And as you said, the chain.” He wandered over to the window and looked out. 

“This would not be a good means of entrance or exit either. It's too high up, and there's not a lot to hold onto if you were trying to get from room to room from the outside. Plus there's a screen that would have to be removed.” He finally sat down on the sofa and scrubbed his face with his hands, leaving his hair an even untidier mess. “I don't know, Mulder. If it was just me, I would assume I'd been dreaming or imagined it.”

Mulder shook his head. “But it wasn't just you. We have instincts, all people do. We just usually talk ourselves out of trusting them.”

Scully looked at him thoughtfully.“I noticed something when I was reading through the file on the hotel's history. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but... the victims were all betas. That isn't necessarily strange, since statistically there are more betas to _be_ victims. But it seems like most of the accounts of strange phenomena are from alphas and omegas. Actually, all of them were. Their status was given, because they have a far better ability to scent people than the average beta, and some betas can't pickup pheromones at all. It's normal to ask an alpha or omega if they had smelled someone else and if they too were alpha or omega. Granted that only works if they're in the same room together.” Scully added, remembering the idiot in Shepherdsville that believed he could track Mulder like a bloodhound. “You and Robbie talking earlier half reminded me, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was I had been trying to remember.”

“Unfortunately, the only thing I could smell was sleepy alpha.” Mulder sighed. “Though, you maybe onto something, just not that direct. We're used to operating by scent, because it's the mechanism tied to mating. What if it's something not tied to scent?”

“Like what?” Scully asked cautiously, clearly uncertain as to where this was going, and whether or not he was going to like it.

Mulder shrugged. “I don't know. Just stronger instincts in general. I know there had been some studies done quite awhile ago – we're talking around World War Two if not before. But I don't know that much about them. I do know who would, though.” He looked over at the clock that now read ten after four.

Scully stood and began carefully examining the room looking for anything remotely out of place. Mulder joined him, but they came up empty handed. “There isn't anything here. I don't know if there really was anything here. We should try and at least get some sleep.”

Mulder nodded, shedding his robe and crawling back under the covers. He sat, straining all of his senses, but the room was entirely normal. He waited for Scully to climb in beside him so Mulder could spoon him. He cuddled up snugly, but made no move to turn off the lamp. If something had been there, and Mulder had a difficult time believing it had all been in his head, hopefully the light would act as a deterrent. Scully made no objection, merely ducking his face under the cover and wriggling into him until he found the position he wanted.

Surprisingly, Mulder did manage to fall asleep and woke some hours later with the morning light spilling through the crack in the curtains. Scully had moved in his sleep so that he lay half on his belly with one arm flung outwards towards the edge of the bed and his rump still pressed against Mulder. The clock on the table read 7:42. He leaned over and pressed several kisses to the nape of Scully's neck and gave his bottom a squeeze.

Scully jerked and then relaxed. “Hey.” He said in a sleep roughened voice. He glanced at the clock before rolling over onto his back and staring at the ceiling. “I didn't wake up again.”

“Neither did I. Whatever it was didn't stick around.”

“If there was anything at all.” Scully repeated his thought from before. “It's easy to imagine things in the dark. It's basic human instinct to fear dark places where danger could hide.”

“Yes, but I'm not usually afraid of darkened hotel rooms. I've slept in enough of them. It wasn't just you or just me, we both sensed something. I don't think it was only in our heads.”

Scully made a noncommittal sound, but he wasn't continuing to argue the point. Instead he sat up. “OK, I'm going to get cleaned up. He took first go at the bathroom since Mulder seemed preoccupied with the laptop. 

It was a nice bathroom with a large tub and shower. He regarded it longingly for a moment as he considered seeing if Mulder would keep him company. In the end, professionalism won out. They were here to work, not play. Perhaps when the case was tied up they could spare a little extra time. So instead of playing in the shower, he stood alone under the hot water. The night before seemed unreal in the light of day. Yes he had felt something, but there was always the possibility he had been unconsciously reacting to Mulder's tension. The intangibility of the experience bothered him. There was nothing to study or examine. He could only guess, and he didn't like guessing.

The shower hadn't helped illuminate the situation, but it had helped clear his head. He slid into a button down shirt and nice pair of jeans. He wanted to read as being successful but ordinary. Someone that wouldn't attract notice. Having showered the night before, Mulder was already dressed and quickly dodged into the bathroom leaving Scully to consider the laptop.

“You know how I said I knew someone who would know about those studies?” Mulder asked as he popped back in.

Scully nodded. Admittedly, that fact had gotten shoved out of his head in the night.

“Well, I've set up a little chat with him.”

* * *

“You're looking very handsome today.” Frohike immediately commented, his face briefly filling the computer screen. He reached up and adjusted the webcam bringing Langly into view.

Scully simply smiled, used to the harmless flirting. He did have to stifle a groan when the first words out of Langly's mouth were, “You'd better be careful, looks like Scully bites.”

Frohike was unphased. “Most alphas bite.”

“Hey, we're supposed to be posing as a couple. These are official bites.” Mulder grinned as his partner attempted to keep his composure.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Scully interrupted before the conversation could continue it's rapid downhill descent. 

“OK, what we need is some historical information. But first, I need to give you some context. We are at the very beautiful, and apparently deadly, Aster Hotel.”

This seemed to impress Langly. “Oh, I heard about that. There's was talk some years back about making a horror film loosely based on the disappearances. There hadn't been one for awhile. I'm guessing that changed?”

“Yes, a federal agent vanished from his room leaving no trace.” Scully replied. “No one's been able to find out anything, which is how it got routed to us.”

“We also had an interesting experience last night.” Mulder went on to describe their nighttime misadventure. “Scully also noticed that all the people that have described strange experiences in the hotel were alphas and omegas.”

“That's not really strange at all. You have receptors that betas don't have. It's not uncommon for betas to be able to pick up on some pheromones – enough to tell if someone's an alpha or omega or in heat., but subtlety is lost on us. It's thought that the only reason beta's can pick up on pheromones at all is -”

“Because they likely have alphas and or omegas in their family tree somewhere and inherited some of that ability.” Scully finished for him. “The one's that are completely blind to pheromones don't have alphas or omegas as close blood relatives.”

“Exactly right. Cute and smart.” Frohike smiled. 

“However, being in such close proximity to each other, there really wasn't a way to determine if there was someone else in the room by pheromones alone. That's if there was anyone there to begin with. There was no way a human could have gotten in.”

“Ah, a classic locked room mystery. There is another explanation, and I'm sure this is what Mulder wanted to know. There is a strain of thought that alphas and omegas can pick up on more than just each other's pheromones. You might be sensitive to an entire array of other information. The problem is, you don't know how to interpret it. It's all extraneous, a hold over from early man. What got kept as mankind evolved was everything to do with mating. All the other junk information gets bypassed and tossed out.”

“But is there anyway to prove that?” 

“Not definitively, but there have been studies that strongly point to that being the case. They were conducted by right around our entrance into WWII.”

“Some of the subjects were even willing.” Langly broke in.

“Ah, so not entirely legal?” Mulder inquired.

Langly shrugged. “Considering what the government has gotten away with, this stuff was fairly mild. However, there was disagreement with the ethics involved with treating people like lab rats – especially omegas. They thought omegas were particularly sensitive. In reality it's more likely that omegas are particularly good at reading body language to the point that it isn't even conscious. They would have to know what alphas were safe. But there was a lot people didn't understand then.”

“The purpose of the study was military application – the idea of people that had extra sensory abilities was appealing to the Pentagon. However, it was mostly a flop. While alphas and omegas did seem to be more sensitive to their environments and often noticed the presence of people before betas did, there were no amazing powers of foresight involved. As it pertains to you two, there is a very good chance that if something was there, you would notice it before a beta would, even if you didn't know how. The ability to receive that information is still there even though the mechanism to fully decipher it is not.”

Scully sat back on the couch feeling no more certain than he had in the shower. It was interesting information and made perfect sense. However, that did not definitively prove one way or another whether or not they had been alone the night before.

Mulder thanked the two men and began shutting down the laptop. “That still doesn't explain how something got in here. If something got in here.” Scully absently rested a hand on Mulder's shoulder.

“There's something we're overlooking. I say we go get some food before we do anything else.”

Scully nodded. It wasn't as if he had any better ideas.

* * *

“We should at least entertain the idea that the cause of Darrio's disappearance was mundane.” Scully said, his gaze drawn upwards to the murals above and the second floor balcony that looked out over the restaurant and bar.

“Well, in that case either he left on his own, or he was abducted or murdered.” Mulder replied after swallowing a forkful of egg.

“An employee perhaps? They have us pretending to be guests for a reason.”

“True. However, the same difficulty remains. When they went to his room, it was locked with the chain pulled across the door, and it's five stories up. Security cameras didn't catch anything out of the ordinary, and everyone working that night was questioned. This place isn't a hotbed for drug smuggling or deals. The suspect just happened to be staying here that night. It wasn't something he was in the habit of doing, so I doubt he would have had any of the employees in his pocket. It also doesn't explain the previous disappearances that happened under similar circumstances.” 

Even in the light of day when nightmares and fears tended to fade away, Mulder was certain they had experienced something real the night before. Unfortunately, he had no explanation for it that would tie it to Darrio's, or anyone else's, disappearance. He knew Scully would second guess himself until he was convinced nothing had happened. They needed some evidence, some sign that something out of the ordinary had happened. 

“We were tired last night. It was late. It's possible we missed something.” Mulder suggested.

Scully leaned back, cradling his coffee mug. “Mulder, I don't know what we could have missed.”

“Looking again won't hurt. If anything else, the more we're familiar with how the rooms are laid out, the easier it might be to figure out what happened to Darrio.”

Scully thought it over. It was logic Mulder knew he wouldn't be able to refute, and sure enough he acquiesced. “We can search one more time. After that, I don't know what to say, unless something else happens.”


	5. Swarm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented, bookmarked, and left kudos on this story, it means more to me than you can imagine

If there had been something or someone in the room with them last night, then there had to be some sign. He thought back over the night before from the moment he woke in Mulder's arms, to the point the presence, for lack of a better word, vanished, and he switched on the light. Mulder's body had blocked most of his view, but he didn't think anything had been looming beside him. Mulder hadn't seen anything on Scully's side of the bed either. If something had been there, it would have been in the front half of the room. He began carefully examining the room bit by bit moving from the door to the windows. Nothing looked different, nothing out of place, no smears of dirt, no scuffed places on the carpeting. It wasn't until he came to a vent in the wall that something caught his attention. He never would have noticed if not for a faint odd odor. On closer inspection, some sort of residue was smeared across the decorative grating. 

“Hey Scully-” Mulder began, shutting the door behind him. 

“Mulder, come here and look at this.”

His partner crouched down beside him, briefly resting a hand on his back. “There's something on the grate. It smells, I don't know what it smells like – not chemical. It maybe nothing...”

“Have it analyzed.” Mulder said decisively. “If that's the only thing in the room that's out of place, then we should at least find out what it is.”

“I agree. I'm just not sure how it could be related. The gaps here are wider than a typical vent, but not big enough for anything much larger than a mouse to squeeze through.” He carefully collected a sample, curious but not particularly hopeful.

“We don't really know what we're dealing with here.” Mulder pointed out. 

Scully closed his eyes for a moment in a 'God please give me strength' way. “Even if there was something that could get in, Darrio was 6'1” and broad shouldered. There was no way he went out that way.”

That seemed to give Mulder some pause. “Maybe they didn't go out the way it came in.” He thought for a minute. “Ventilation shafts are a good idea, though. Every room has them. There's one in the bathroom too.”

“Yes, but that's even smaller.” He hauled himself to his feet and followed Mulder who stopped in the bathroom and stared up at the ceiling over the bath where a small vent helped to carry out the steam. He prodded at it, but it was clearly well screwed in. “I'd like to know whether the same residue is also in Darrio's room.”

“We need to get in there anyway.” He thought for a moment regarding the merits of letting the manager in on their purpose or having Mulder do it. On one hand, people tended to underestimate omegas. Mulder would be more likely to put him or her at ease and avoid territorial feelings. On the other hand as an alpha, people were more likely to listen if he really insisted.

Mulder must have been having similar thoughts. “You go, there's somethings I'd like to take a look at.”

* * *

Once Scully left in the direction of the elevators, Mulder slid the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on their door before the maid they had passed in the hall earlier made it to their room to vacuum and wipe away any potential evidence. There was little activity in the hallway. The guests who were leaving had checked out, and those staying were out and about. He could distantly hear a vacuum cleaner, but it was faint – on their floor but a different hallway.

He began examining the vents in the hall. They were residue free and carried no odors aside from the smell of recycled air. It was possible, of course, that they had all been cleaned regularly. But it would be likely if something had gotten on them, that at least a little might remain somewhere. A quiet tread alerted him to Scully's presence. He held up a pass key.

“Find anything?” He asked.

Mulder stood. “No, they're all clean in this hallway.”

“Let's see about Darrio's room.” Mulder followed Scully, sometimes pausing to check a vent, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Darrio's room looked like any other. Scully made a beeline for the vent, carefully examining the metal and leaning close and inhaling. He quickly sat back. “The same odor is there, and some of the residue - especially on the backside. Actually, there is more here than in our room. He scooted so that he was facing into the room from the vent. He considered for a moment before burying his nose in the carpet.

“It's a good thing this isn't a pay by the hour kind of place.” Mulder couldn't help but say as Scully gave him a glare.

“You could help me here. You know what it smells like too.” 

Mulder did what he was told. It _was_ actually a good idea, though he was glad they weren't surrounded by a beta forensic team. The thought made him start to giggle.

“What?” Scully demanded with an annoyed expression, before his shoulders started to shake and he joined in the hilarity, eventually ending up laying face down. 

Mulder fought back the laughter long enough to catch his breath and inhale the carpet. “OK, right here. Whatever it was was right here.” He sat up quickly, turning his head and trying to blow the smell from his nose. It was slightly sweet and slightly rotten with a musky undercurrent. The odor was concentrated a mere foot from the end of the bed. 

“I had to have my nose near the carpet to smell it, but you'd think someone would've noticed when they first examined the room.”

“Maybe not if they were all betas. We don't know what this is, or who can actually detect it.” Scully pointed out as he moved to crouch beside Mulder and rest a hand on his shoulder. His brow wrinkled in concentration, and he leaned farther forward. “I think there's something else here.” He dug through the thick fibers of the carpet with a swab and held it up for closer inspection.

“Could be dirt.” It was the obvious answer, but Mulder wasn't willing to take anything at face value.

Scully bagged the sample and ran his fingers through one small corner of the scent coated area. He rubbed his fingers together. “It's oddly greasy, and it's not exactly what's on the grate.”

Something clicked into place in Mulder's brain. He carefully began looking for where the scent began and ended along with the greasy texture of the carpet. “Um, Scully. I think we might have inadvertently stumbled onto what's left of Darrio.”

“I don't understand.”

“This area is roughly man sized. No one saw him leave or found a body, because there wasn't one left.”

Scully looked at him then down at the floor. “You're saying he was what? Dissolved? Eaten? Mulder, even if that were true, there should be more remains than just this. Fluid and bits of matter would have ended up in the carpeting in far greater amounts, and there should be significant staining. There's no bits of bone or teeth or anything.”

“Unless whatever it was did a damned good job at getting everything. Think about it, this has happened over and over again but with years in between victims, because whatever it is doesn't need to feed often. Like any predator, it would seek out susceptible prey. Darrio was alone and wouldn't be able to sense it's presence since he was a beta.

“If it knew the difference.”

“Why not? We give off pheromones. There's no reason it shouldn't be able to smell the difference between an alpha an omega and a beta. The victims have always been betas staying alone.”

“This is insane.” Scully had gone back to staring at the carpet. “What could possibly do something like this?”

“Maybe it's not a something, but some _things_. There are species of ants that can quickly swarm, kill and devour their prey.”

“Army ants don't behave this way. And it would take time to consume anything the size of an adult male, especially one that's alive and capable of fleeing. Being bitten by insects would wake up anybody. Plus they wouldn't dissolve the bones.” Scully pointed out.

“I'm not saying that's what they are, just the same basic idea. Traveling up through the vents in search of likely prey – we can detect their pheromones, even though they don't really mean anything to us, but betas can't.” His speech quickened in his excitement as the puzzle pieces fell together. “This wouldn't be something anyone has seen or studied before.”

Scully just looked worried. “Mulder if this is true--”

“They just fed. If they continue to follow the same pattern, they won't seek more prey anytime soon. We have time to find them. The key is the vents. All the victims were on this side of the building, so it has to be because of the vents. We need a plan of the building.”

* * *

It was amazing how quickly an FBI badge and promises of discretion got them what they needed, building maintenance having diagrams of the heating and air system. Mulder noted that Scully had stopped objecting to the idea of a killer swarm of _something_ and was at least willing to entertain the idea.

“If it, they, don't need to feed again right away, what were they doing in our room last night?”

“I have no idea. Perhaps they were curious, or something disturbed them. People have had experiences during times when there were no disappearances as well.” Mulder pointed out, wishing he had a better answer. “We should probably begin at the bottom. I doubt they'd live in the vents themselves, and all the rooms on this side are regularly used. Once we find them, if they are what we think they are, we'll have to call in the cavalry to get rid of them.” 

“If they are what we think they are, and they realize we're there and decide to swarm? They haven't bothered alphas and omegas before, but they weren't being actively threatened either.”

“We'll have to be very careful then. Since no one has accidentally stumbled on them before that we know of, they have to nesting somewhere out of the way.” They made their way to a service elevator located towards the back of the building. The basement was the logical place to start. It was where the heating and air began and would have areas rarely visited by the staff.

The basement, as one would expect of a building that large, was not small. But they were able to quickly rule out main storage areas, leaving them with a more manageable area of investigation. It was Scully who noticed it first. He paused, holding up his hand in a signal for Mulder to stop. “Do you smell that?” He whispered almost too low for Mulder to hear. “It's faint, but...” He trailed off, sniffing the air. He moved forward a bit and motioned for Mulder to follow.

Mulder himself had begun to notice the odd odor. If they hadn't been looking for it, they probably never would have noticed. It was faint and could have been attributed to almost anything, considering that they were wandering around the bowels of the building. But after burying his nose in the carpet earlier, he knew exactly what they were looking for and could identify the faint musky slightly sweet odor. They rounded a corner and came to a locked door that had an air of disuse. Mulder crouched down to examine the small but definitely present gap between the bottom of the metal door and the floor. The odor had become more noticeable. He didn't have to strain to catch it. He ran his finger along the edge of the gap and it came away with a slight stickiness.

“I think we've found the right place.”

“Mulder, I don't think this door has been opened in awhile.” Scully was studying the hinges. “It looks like these could use some oil. Do we know what's back here?” They kept their voices low, not wanting to poke the proverbial hornets' nest inside.

Mulder unfolded the map of the basement. “It doesn't say. It looks like it could have been a small storage space.”

“There's no way we're going to be able to open this door without making noise and most likely disturbing what's inside.” Scully sighed. “And we don't even know for sure what it is. The most we have is an educated guess.”

“Better than an uneducated guess.”

They stepped back from the door in order to lessen the chance of their voices or the vibration of their footsteps disturbing what was in the room. “Mulder, what's that?” Scully blinked, trying to better focus his eyes in the low light. What at first appeared to be a shadow was moving out from under the door. 

“Trouble, come on.” He took hold of Scully's arm and slowly began backing away. “It -they, have already fed, maybe if we just move out of their territory...” his voice trailed off. 

Scully could see how hotel guests had assumed they had seen an apparition. In poor lighting, it looked like a solid shadow roughly man high. But when he focused closely around the edges, he could see that the 'shadow' was in fact made up of many tiny individuals. They were eerily quiet and following determinedly. 

Scully glanced around looking for some kind of shelter, heart hammering in his chest. While they weren't angrily attacking, they weren't backing down either. Perhaps he and Mulder had committed the ultimate sin by encroaching on their territory. Maybe the insects never noticed other people who came down to the basement, most of them being betas and giving off no pheromones. Still they made no move to attack, preferring to continue in a bizarre standoff. 

“I never liked insects.” Mulder commented as a seeking tendril of tiny black bodies reached out mere inches from them before pulling back and being enveloped by the rest of the swarm.

“Wait, this way.” Mulder gave a tug on Scully's sleeve and edged them over to where a fire extinguisher hung on a concrete support.

“I don't know if that will work. Fire extinguishers aren't usually cold enough to completely eradicate insects. It might only make them hostile.”

“I don't know if we have much choice. They're getting braver, and I somehow don't think they like us very much. If they're typically shy, maybe something unexpected will get them to back off enough that we can get out of here and call in people with the right tools to deal with this.”

The swarm went very still as if in surprise at Mulder's sudden movement to wrench the fire extinguisher from the wall. In that moment, Scully was certain they were about to attack and automatically moved in closer to Mulder as if he could somehow shield his partner from their many tiny foes.

However, it appeared that Mulder's gamble was a good one. As soon as they were hit, a number hit the ground while others scattered or were blown off coursed. “Scully, run!” They took off through the basement, bypassing the elevator and heading for the stairwell. Neither paused to look behind them, and by the time they reached the service hallway and slammed the door, nothing was following.

* * *

Mulder watched Scully from where he lay sprawled across the other bed. Later he would join his partner, but for the time being he didn't want to interrupt his work as the alpha's quick fingers tapped across the laptop keyboard. His hair was still damp from the shower, and his reading glasses looked endearingly incongruous against his bare torso and pajama pants. His feet were also free of socks, and he occasionally flexed his toes while deep in thought. Finally he shut down the computer, pressed it shut, and set it aside along with the glasses. He stretched, lean muscles sliding under fair skin.

“You know, as nice as the Aster was, it's good to be somewhere free of bugs.” Mulder said, settling himself down beside the other man.

“Well, I wouldn't go that far.” Scully's mouth quirked up into a weary smile. “We'll just have to hope any roaches that might be around aren't feeling particularly murderous.”

Mulder scooted over and wrapped his arms around Scully so that the alpha's back was pressed against his chest. He breathed in the mixture of pheromones and hotel soap, thinking. “I wonder what stopped them from attacking. We know what they could do to a body.”

Scully was quiet for a moment. “I've been thinking about that. Judging by the pattern of disappearances, they don't feed often. If they're fully fed, they might not be as effective when it comes to killing prey. Or perhaps the act of feeding triggered the next step in whatever their life cycle is.” He rubbed his hands gently over Mulder's arms. “That would also explain why the victims were all betas there alone.”

“What about single alpha and omega guests?”

“We have very strong chemical signatures. If you have a mate, you're going to smell like them to some extent. A potentially angry mate might be a deterrent. Considering how close to countless numbers of people the swarm was living, very few were affected by it. They're aggressive when they need to hunt, but otherwise seem shy. Betas don't really give off pheromones that the insects could read and therefore might just seem like a safer bet.”

“Interesting theory. Makes sense.” He gently nuzzled and kissed along Scully's ear causing a definite shiver to run through the other man. _Oh you like that, do you?_ He sucked at the lobe, earning a soft moan as Scully melted against him. “Look at it this way,” Mulder murmured into his ear. “We're just deterring the murderous cockroaches.”


End file.
